When Attraction Becomes Dangerous
by Hypnotoad76
Summary: The group finds themselves in danger when someone becomes infatuated with Annie. Rated T for now, may change it to M later.
1. Chapter 1

Jeff's opened his eyes as he sat up in bed and looked at the clock. 9:56pm. He had only meant to lay down for a little bit and he ended up napping for over four hours.

He was surprised he hadn't gotten a call from someone in the group to check up on him. Movie night at Annie, Abed and Troy's started at 10pm and he was surprised no one called to remind him/make sure he was coming. He checked his phone and immediately got his answer as to why he didn't hear it ring. The battery was dead. Jeff plugged it into his charger, then grabbed his keys and jacket as he walked out of his apartment.

He was so busy leaving that he didn't notice his phone light up, indicating that he had three messages and twenty missed calls. Unbeknownst to Jeff his phone vibrated with an incoming call as he strolled down the hallway.

As Jeff walked out of his building and over to his car a feeling of unease started to take hold of him. It became more pronounced the closer he got to his car, but he shrugged it off. Probably nothing, he thought. He stood next to his car and started putting the key in the lock when sharp pain shot up from his calf. His legs instantly buckled as he fell to the pavement. He had just enough time to see his pants leg stain with blood before a man crawled out from under his car. Jeff tried to move out of the way, but wasn't fast enough as the man raised a blood covered knife and plunged it into his stomach.

Jeff screamed as his entire body was flooded with excruciating pain. He felt the knife pull out of his body and instinctively grabbed hold of his stomach. As he looked up through the pain he was able to see who his attacker was. "You."

"Annie's mine." The main said as he held the knife high in the air over Jeff's chest. "MINE!"

**Three Weeks Earlier**

Annie practically skipped into the study room, bouncy with glee. "Guess what today is?"

"Wait, let me guess." Jeff said. "Someone says an obnoxious guess that makes no sense before you tell us what's actually happening. Abed, am I right?"

"Yea, that's usually how it goes in sitcoms. And since that's the formula we usually follow that's what's expected to be said. Annie, you're becoming an amateur astronaut but only training on weekends, right? "

Annie paused for a moment before sitting down in her seat. "I told you. I start tutoring for my calculus class today. Remember? Professor Wess asked me if I could help out a few students in his morning class who are having trouble with the material. I told you this yesterday Jeff, when I asked you for a ride this afternoon."

"Oh right, now I remember. Access Hollywood was on when you called."

"OH, that's nice." Shirley said.

"I know. Isn't it great?"

"Don't you tutor people already? Like us?" Troy said.

"I encourage you guys to study, that's not the same as actual tutoring. And I really like calculus. This is going to be great. I can help people who are failing and turn their lives around."

"IF YOU LIKE CALCULOUS SO MUCH WHY DON'T YOU MARRY IT!"

They all looked at Pierce, surprised at his outburst. "Pierce, how long have you gone without eating?" Britta said.

"Four days. Just three more and my hunger fast is over."

Annie looked at Pierce with deep concern. "Pierce, this is really dangerous. You can get really sick from malnourishment."

"When Buddha came here on the meteor he went light years without eating. So we fast to become closer to him. It's how we show out commitment. Unlike that cult you belong to."

"For the last time Pierce, Judaism is not a cult!" Annie yelled.

"If you say so." Shirley said under her breath.

"I can't take all this negative energy. I need air. Get away from me! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Pierce staggered up from his chair and stumbled out of the study room.

They all looked at each other, unsure of what to do. "Should we help him?" Troy said.

"Right, that's what we should do; go help the delusional starving maniac." Jeff rolled his eyes as he opened his book. "Let's just leave him alone. It's Pierce, he'll be fine."

They looked at each other a bit uneasily as they opened their books and started studying. After an hour they packed up their stuff to head to lunch. "Jeff, you're meeting me in the library at 4:30, right?"

"Annie, I said I'd do it so I'll be there." As they walked out Jeff scoffed at the look Britta gave him. "What? Her car's getting a oil change and my last class ends when her tutoring is suppose to."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

At quarter to three Annie sat down in the library and took her textbooks and notes out of her backpack. She reviewed her notes until a few minutes to three, when a young man with tousled blond hair came over to her. "Are you Annie Edison?"

"Yes! Hi, you must be Owen." She stood up to shake his hand before pulling it back. "I'm sorry, that must seem kind of odd." She said apologetically as she sat back down.

"No, that's fine." He sat down next to her, licking his lips nervously. "I'm sorry." He reached into his pocket and took out a stick of Chap Stick, applying it before putting it on the table. "Just a little nervous."

"I know it seems hard now, but calculus really isn't that bad. We'll go over the formulas and principals and before you know it you're grades will turn around."

"Ok." As he opened his books he looked up at her, taking in her face. "Can I just say that you have really pretty eyes."

"Oh, thank you."

"I'm sure you hear that all the time."

"I've been told that before. But it's always nice to hear."

"Well, anyone who doesn't think so is a moron and has no brains."

Annie's smile faltered at his last statement, but she quickly brushed it off. "Well, let's gets started, shell we."

They spent the next hour and a half going over the material that had so far been covered in class. As they studied Annie noticed that he seemed to have a habit of frequently applying Chap Stick to his lips. What she didn't notice was that he kept looking over at her out of the corner of his eye.

At 4:30pm Jeff strolled into the library and went over to them. "Hey Annie."

"Jeff, hi! It's 4:30 already? Wow, I completely lost track of time. Oh, Owen, this is Jeff. Jeff, Owen."

"Hello Jeff." Owen smiled as he held out his hand. Though as Jeff shook it he noticed that Owen's smile didn't extend up to his eyes.

"So, you're ready to go Annie."

"Yup. Just let me go to the bathroom first." Annie finished packing up her backpack as she walked out of the library, leaving both men standing awkwardly next to each other. Jeff looked him over, trying to figure out what to make of him. He was older then Annie but was definitely younger then himself, and possibly younger then Britta. He was shorter then Jeff, but seemed to have a compact wily build to him.

Owen applied another coat of Chap Stick as he looked at Jeff. "Where do you know Annie from?"

"We met our first year here. We're both in the same study group together."

"So you two aren't…"

"No, we're not like that. We're just friends."

Owen stared at Jeff as his eyes and voice grew cold. "Maybe you should get some friends your own age."

Jeff looked up from his phone, surprised at what he heard and the tone it was said in. "Excuse me?"

Just then Annie returned from the bathroom. "Ok Jeff, all ready. Bye Owen. I'll see you here Thursday at 3. And make sure you do those practice exercises at the end of the chapter." With that she and Jeff walked out of the library.

As Jeff drove Annie home he thought about telling her about what happened when she was in the bathroom. But he knew she might think he was again being judgmental of any guy who was in her life. And she was just tutoring him. It wasn't like she was dating him or anything. But he still figured it wouldn't hurt if he kept his eyes opened when she was around him.


	2. Chapter 2

Annie was very happy to be tutoring again. It made her feel good to be helping others in learning. And like she had told Troy, getting the group to study and actually teaching someone were two completely different things.

So far only two students from Professor Wess's class needed tutoring. The first was Owen. The second was Mitch, a skinny Asian guy her own age. Of the two of them Mitch needed a lot more help. He was eager to learn, but had a lot of trouble getting the concepts. She generally felt terrible when she reviewed his homework and saw that he got almost every problem wrong.

Luckily Owen seemed to be improving. When they had their next tutoring session on Thursday she checked over the exercises she had told him to do and was happy to see that he got more of them right than wrong. She spent the hour and a half going over formulas and having him do practice exercises.

"Owen, that's great. You really seem to be improving."

"Well you are a good teacher." He said with a nervous smile.

"Thank you." She pushed her chair back as she packed up her stuff. "Well, I hope you have a good weekend. And make sure study for your test on Monday."

"I will. Have a good rest of the day Annie."

"You too. Bye Owen." Annie weaved her arms through her backpack straps as she walked out of the library. As she walked down the hallway she didn't notice Owen standing in the library entrance, applying Chap Stick as he watched her intently.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Annie, wait up."

"Owen, hey." Annie looked at him for a second before she remembered his test yesterday. "Oh, right, your test. How'd it go?" She looked at him apprehensively as he dug a piece of paper out of his pants pocket and gave it to her. "79! Owen that's great!" She wrapped her arms around him as she hugged him in celebration. As he hugged her back she didn't notice him sniffing her hair. She just saw his smiling face as she pulled back. "I'm so proud of you."

"Well, I owe it all to you." He anxiously shifted his weight from one leg to another as he looked at her. "Listen…I was just wondering, if you would like to go out to dinner tonight?"

"Um, like a celebration over your improved grades?" Annie said uncertainly.

"Actually…I was more thinking of it as a date."

"Well…" She looked at him as she thought about it. He seemed nice enough. A little nervous, but generally pleasant. And it wasn't like guys were lining up to ask her out. "Sure."

"Really!" She generally smiled as his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "That's great. How about tonight?"

"Tonight…" She thought about it for a second before realizing she didn't have any plans. "Sure, tonight sounds good."

"Great. I'll figure out where we're going and tell you later at tutoring."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I wanted to know if we could reschedule today's tutoring session."

"What?" The smile left his face as he looked at her. "But, we were supposed to meet today."

"I know Owen. But, do you know Mitch from your class?"

"Yea."

"I'm also tutoring him and he's really having trouble grasping all this. And this morning he told me he failed his test and I think it would really help if I meet with him more to try and help him."

"But what about me?"

"I'm still tutoring you. But I really need to meet with Mitch today." She pulled out a piece of scrap paper and one of her purple pens, quickly writing her number down before handing it to Owen. "Here's my cell phone number. Just text me later with where we're going. I'll see you tonight. And again congratulations on your test."

With that she walked down the hall, leaving Owen standing by himself. While his face appeared passive he was seething with rage inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie stepped back a few feet as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her 'date outfit' wasn't much different from her usual outfits. She had on a light blue cardigan with a light pink top, and a black skirt covered with a pattern of cherries. She considered wearing heels but opted to go with her usual ballet flats. But overall she thought she looked nice.

Her phone rang and she picked it up, seeing it was Jeff. "Hey Jeff."

"_I heard you're going out with your tutor buddy Owen." _

"Yes Jeff, we're going out to dinner."

"_On an actual date?" _

She sighed with exasperation. "Yes Jeff, I'm going on a date. Can you please drop the whole jealous thing for one night?"

"_I just think there's something off about him." _

"Jeff, how many times can we do this?"

"…_Just, be careful Annie._"

"Good bye Jeff." She hung her phone up, groaning in frustration as she walked out of her room. She looked over at Abed and Troy, who were engrossed in watching the latest Inspector Spacetime episode. "Ok guys, I'm going out." She waited for a response but all she got was a grunt from Troy. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she grabbed her purse and walked out of her apartment.

Traffic was light and she made it to the restaurant in no time. When she walked in she saw Owen right away at a table, wearing a blue dress shirt with a yellow tie and tan pants. He stood up as she walked over to him. "Annie, hey. You look nice."

"Thanks. So do you." As she went over to her chair he ran over and unexpectedly pulled it out for her. "Thank you. You're such a gentleman."

"A man should be in the presence of a lady." He said as they sat down. "You look really beautiful tonight." They looked over their menus as the waiter came over.

"Good evening folks. My name is Harold, and I'll be your server tonight."

"Harold, tonight we'll start off with a bottle of your finest wine."

"Owen, we don't have to-."

"Annie, I insist. Tonight's a celebration, so let's celebrate."

"Certainly sir. I'll just need to see some ID from both of you."

Annie dug out her (now actually legal) ID and held it up as they both showed theirs to the waiter. "Ok, very good. Would you two like to start off with any appetizers?"

Before Annie could answer Owen spoke up. "We'll have the Bruschetta on toast and an order of the vegetarian spring rolls with honey peanut sauce." Owen smiled as the waiter wrote their order down and walked away. "The food here is really good."

"If you say so." Annie said with a bit of uncertainty. As she looked over her menu Owen smiled from across the table. "You should get the glazed lamb. It's really good."

"I'm not really into lamb. Plus it's really expensive. I'm thinking of getting the Caesar salad with rotisserie chicken."

"Whatever you want. I was just telling you what's good here." He scowled as he looked over his menu, while Annie sighed as she ducked her head down. They sat in uncomfortable silence before the waiter returned and poured them each a glass of wine.

"Have you decided what you two want?"

Before Annie could speak Owen again spoke up. "The lady will have the Caesar salad with rotisserie chicken. And I'll have the Hanger stake medium rare, with mashed potatoes and asparagus."

Annie waited until the waiter left before finally speaking up. "Owen, I can order my own food."

"I was just trying to be helpful."

"Thank you. But you don't have to do everything for me."

"I apologize." He said curtly. They sat there awkwardly as they each took a sip of wine. "So, what made you decide to go to Greendale Annie?"

"Um…" She traced her finger on her wine glass, not really wanting to go into that whole story. "Let's just say it's where I was meant to go. What about you?"

"I traveled around for a few years after high school. Then I decided I needed a change so I ended up here."

"That sounds a lot like my friend Britta."

"Is Britta a guy or a girl?"

"A girl." Annie said slowly, noticing the uncomfortable shift in his tone. "She's really something. For a while she didn't know what she wanted to do, but now she's studying psychology to become a therapist."

"So she wants to study people and try to analyze them? Personally I think that's a waste of someone's time."

"Um…" Annie reached over and took another sip of wine, more to have something to do then to drink it. "Do you live around here?"

"I have my own place not far from here. What about you?"

"I used to live in a really dangerous neighborhood. But now I'm living with my friends Troy and Abed, which is a lot better."

"Troy and Abed? You're living with two guys?" He frowned as he fidgeted with his napkin. "That's surprising. I just wouldn't have pegged you for that type of a girl."

"What do you mean?"

"Well come on. A young woman living with two guys. It's obvious why they wanted you to live with them."

"They wanted me to live with them because they're my friends."

"Sure, right now. But I'm just saying. A living situation like that. Things are bound to happen."

Annie stared at him, trying to make sense of where this conversation was going. Before she could do that he out of the blue said "So tell me about that guy I saw you with last week."

"Jeff? He's a friend from my study group."

"Seems a bit odd. A guy his age hanging around a girl just out of high school. What, he can't find women his own age?"

"Look." Annie said, trying to keep her building annoyance from bursting out. "Can we please not talk about Jeff or any other guy in my life? Especially if you're going to insult them."

"I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Well don't." she said, a little snippier then she usually would.

"I'm sorry I upset you."

"Thank you."

The remainder of the evening was one awkward moment after another. Owen seemed to like to talk, but rarely said something that revealed anything personal about him. He continually complemented her looks and called her smart, but would quickly shoot her down anytime she offered her opinion on something. He insisted that they get a second bottle of wine (even though she only had a glass and a half from the first bottle), and then they barely drank any of it. And then he insisted that she get dessert, to the point where she finally got something just to shut him up. When the check finally came she tried to be polite by not showing how relieved she was.

"Don't worry Annie, I've got it."

"Owen, it's really expensive. I don't mind splitting the bill or at least paying for my share."

"Annie, you're my date. And guys pay for their dates."

"Ok, well, I had…a good time. I'll see you tomorrow Owen. Have a good night." She quickly scurried out of the restaurant, sighing in relief as she slid into her car. That was probably the worst date she had ever been on. That even beat the time she went out with a guy in high school and her back brace got stuck to the chair. At the very least the evening gave her an interesting story to tell. That and some chocolate cake to share with Troy and Abed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey Annie." Jeff approached her as she walked down the hallway, showing more interest then he usually did. "So, how'd your date with Owen go?"

"My date? It was great…really great. It was…" She gritted her teeth before groaning in annoyance. "It was terrible, all right. Just one disaster after another." She smacked Jeff on the chest as she caught the smirk on his face. "Can we not. Just because I had one bad date doesn't mean anything."

"I didn't say anything Annie."

"I know what that smirk means Jeff. 'Oh, Annie had a bad date. That means she'll be by herself again'. I'm really getting sick of it Jeff."

"Miss Edison." They both turned to their right as Professor Wess leaned out of his classroom. "May I speak to you for a moment?"

"I'll see you later Jeff." With that she turned around defiantly as she followed her Professor into his classroom.

"Have a seat." The man rubbed his hands together nervously as Annie sat down. "I'm not sure if you're already heard, but Mitchell Chin is in the hospital. He was beaten into a coma."

"What?" Annie gasped. "What happened?"

"He was found this morning in an ally next to Rough Necks."

"That bar near Dildopolos?"

"Correct. I don't know why he would go there; it's such a dangerous neighborhood. But according to the paper it probably happened as he was leaving the bar last night and the attacker beat him until he lost consciousness. His wallet was stolen so the police think it was a particularly savage mugging. I just wanted to let you know, since you had been tutoring him."

"Thank for telling me." Annie said dully, still shocked at what she had heard. She got up and started walking to the study room. She didn't notice Owen watching her from the shadows, fingering a gold ring that until recently had been on Mitch Chin's finger.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, I'm sorry pumpkin. That does sounds like a bad date."

"Thanks Shirley."

"Well look at it this way. At least you got a free meal out of it. I've heard that some women, when they don't have money and are hungry, will go out with a guy just to get dinner." Britta slouched in her chair as everyone stared at her. "It's just something I've heard. It's not like I've ever done it." She said in a low voice.

"Whif, tis goy souns wor a krel squsor." Pierce said as his mouth budged with French fries and snack cake (ever since his hunger fast had ended he had been eating like an animal.)

Shirley wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Pierce! If you're going to stuff your face at least be civil and don't talk with your mouth full. Ben has better table manners then you, and he's not even one!" As his hands reached out Shirley grabbed the snickers bars in front of him and put them in her bag.

"Hey! That's mine. Give it back."

"You'll get them back when you show some manners."

"You're not my mother!"

"Well someone has to keep you in line. Though Lord knows I'd rather it not be me!"

"Look!" Annie said. "Can we please just get back to studying?"

They all murmured in agreement as they all actually looked at their textbooks. They all sat in silence when out of nowhere Abed said. "I'm glad you moved in with us Annie."

Annie looked up, unsure as to what brought that up. "Um, thank you Abed. What brought that up?"

"I heard about Mitch getting mugged not far from where you used to live. And I'm glad you don't live there anymore and have to worry about that."

Although he said it in the same tone he always spoke in, everyone looked at him in surprise at his affection. Before Annie could say anything they heard a loud cry as Troy burst into tears.

"That…that was so beautiful. I…I…" Troy pushed his chair back as he ran out of the room.

"I'll go calm him down." Britta said as she went after him.

Annie reached over and put her hand on top of Abed's. "I'm glad I'm not living there too."

They all looked over as Britta stuck her head in. "Abed, I can use a bit of help."

"I'm on it." Abed grabbed his stuff as he quickly followed Britta.

Just then Pierce opened a bag of chips and started shoveling handfuls into his mouth, causing bits to fly everywhere. "Ok, I cannot be here if you're going to be a disgusting pig Pierce!" Shirley yelled as she grabbed her stuff and marched out.

" Hey, my snickers!" Pierce yelled as he ran after Shirley, leaving Annie and Jeff alone in the study room.

Annie watched Jeff intently as he continued using his phone. After a few moments he finally looked up at her. "Is there a reason I'm getting the Disney eye, Animi stare?"

"I'd just like it if you weren't so obviously happy that my date last night went terribly." She said as she packed up.

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to. Your face said it all."

"And having a passive face now says something?"

"It does when you have a tell." Annie said as she walked out of the room.

Jeff scoffed as he quickly followed her. "I don't have a tell."

"Yes you do." She said in a more sing song quality. "Whenever you're happy about something but try to hide it your nostrils flare. It's subtle, but I picked up on it."

Instead of denying it like she fully expected, Jeff actually chuckled. "Have you thought about studying law? Cause you'd make a great lawyer."

"So you admit it?"

"I never said…" He groaned as he held his arm out to stop her. "Look, we both know with us…there's a lot there unresolved. But it doesn't mean that I don't care about you. Because I do. And as someone who cares for you, I need to tell you my concern about Owen."

"Jeff-."

"It's not just because it's you. If it had been Britta or Shirley or Quendra with a Q I would be happy a date with him didn't go well. There's just something about him I'm concerned about." He decided to hold off on telling her about their exchange in the library unless he had to.

"Thank you for voicing your opinion Jeff. But I can take care of myself." She looked at him sternly before her resolve melted. "However, it's nice to know people are also looking out for me. Especially since I haven't always had that." She caught Jeff's smile as they both hugged each other. She was still sure that his concern for her dating was linked to his unresolved feelings for her. But she was glad she had him in her life, even if he drove her crazy.

Neither of them noticed Owen in the shadows, watching them as he cracked his knuckles.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie ran into the library, trying to catch her breath as she pulled out her books and study notes. "Owen. I'm so sorry I'm late. Some things came up with my friends and one of them almost choked from swallowing a whole mini donut. But I'm here and we can get started."

He stared at her for a few moments before saying "How'd your study session with Mitch go yesterday?"

"Mitch…" She stopped pulling out her supplies as she looked over at Owen. "I'm not sure if you've heard yet, but Mitch was mugged last night. He's in the hospital in a coma."

"I heard. It's tragic. Though not surprising, considering where he was. Rough Necks is a dangerous place to be at night. "

"Yea I know. I used to live not far from there."

"Before you decided to move in with two men?"

"Owen…can we just get to your tutoring?"

"Ok Annie. I am at your mercy." They studied for an hour before he suggested that they take a break. As they sat there Owen placed his palm over Annie's hand. "So, last night was fun."

"It…it was interesting."

"I was thinking tonight we could go to this nice little bistro that serves really good Italian."

"Owen…" Annie pulled her hand out from under his as she tried to compose what she wanted to say. "I don't think this is going to work."

He narrowed his eyes at her disbelievingly. "What do you mean?"

"It's just…you're a nice guy and I'm sure you'll find a woman who's perfect for you."

"I already have."

Annie gulped as she tried to say what she had to say. "But, I just don't feel something. That spark, you know. I'm really sorry. I'll be happy to continue tutoring you. But I don't think it would be a good idea if we went out again."

"So what was last night then?" Annie stiffened as his voice took on a hard edge. "I mean, I thought we had a really nice time. I thought we had a thing going. I bought you a really expensive dinner and this is how you repay me?"

"Owen, you were the one who kept insisting on getting all that stuff. And I offered to help pay but you refused."

"You know what? I should have known a tramp like you would act like that."

"Excuse me?" Annie said in disbelief and anger.

"Don't try to hide it. You live with two guys and hang out with older men. You prance around in those trashy little outfits of yours. Is this your idea of fun? String a guy along and then stomp all over him?"

"I don't have to listen to this." Annie furiously packed up her stuff as she looked at him with blazing eyes. "You have no right to talk to me like that."

"Annie wait." He grabbed her wrist as his voice became more gentle. "I'm sorry for what I said. I just got mad after you told me you didn't want to go out with me."

Annie jerked her arm out of his grasp, not feeling any less angry from his words. "Good bye Owen." With that she marched out of the library.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS? HE BASICLY SAT THERE AND CALLED ME A SLUT! ME!"

She paced up and down Britta's carpet, her anger growing steadier by the second. As soon as she left the library she called Britta and told her what happened. She called Shirley and the three of them met at Britta's apartment.

"That man is crazy Sweetie. You're the least slutty person I know." Shirley said.

"Typical man." Britta scoffed. "Anytime a woman has a bit of self confidence and dresses in anything that's not a Burqa she's branded a slut. It's just their way of keeping us down." Britta reached up and grabbed Annie's arms as she came towards her. "Can you just sit down for a minute? You're really freaking my cats out."

Annie sat down in between Britta and Shirley as she tried to calm down. "Why would he think that?"

"Annie." Britta said. "Just because you go out with a guy doesn't mean he's entitled to sleep with you, no matter what he might think. He's just a jerk who showed his true colors when he was disappointed."

"Ann-ie." Shirley said. "I've known you for three years. And while I don't watch you every second I can tell you you are in no way a slut. I say forget this boy and find someone else."

Annie finally smiled, having been reassured by her friends. "Thanks you guys. I was just upset and needed to talk to someone."

"Anytime Sweetie."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The next two days went uneventfully for Annie. She went to class and studied and for the most part managed to not think about what had happened with Owen in the library. The biggest break in her usual routine was when the group again had to give Pierce the Heimlich maneuver when he almost choked on a handful of grapes and peanuts.

So she wasn't at all prepared when she came home and found the place in shambles and the police there talking to Troy and Abed.

"What's going on?"

"There appears to have been a break in." Officer Cackowski said (Annie did a slight double take when she realized it was the same officer from the last 'break in'.) "The window over there was broken, I'm guessing someone climbed the fire escape and broke it to get in."

"We came home and found it like this." Troy said.

"Was anything taken?"

"One of my video cameras. Plus several of my DVD collection." Troy put his hand on Abed's shoulder as he hung his head.

"For the most part it seems like a fairly standard robbery. Some electronics stolen, some money that had been lying around, some of your jewelry Miss." Cackowski said. "The only unusual thing about it was it seems the robber took your pictures."

"What?" Annie looked around and noticed that all the pictures around the apartment were gone. "Why would someone want to steal photos of us?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Owen sat in his apartment, shattering the last of the picture frames. The photos were all he really cared about. All the other stuff he had taken was just to make it seem like it was a standard robbery. Once that was done he took a pair of scissors and cut out all the images of Annie before carefully storing them in a shoe box. Once they were safe he took a knife and began to scratch out the faces of all the men that were in Annie's life.

"You're not a whore. You're just surrounded by a bad influence. I'll fix that. I'll fix that."


	4. Chapter 4

Annie sat on her made bed with her legs drawn into her. For the first time since she had moved in here she felt uneasy and vulnerable. She knew that break ins weren't unheard of and could happen anywhere. But somehow she thought of this place as a safe haven. Unlike her old place she felt comforted here. Though her old place had window bars and several locks on the front door, here was where she felt safe. And now in one fail swoop that comfort had been taken away from her.

She got up from her bed and opened the bottom drawer of her dresser. She shifted her sweaters until she saw the small lock box at the bottom. She hadn't opened that box since she had moved. A part of her truly thought she wouldn't need to. But now she was starting to reconsider her earlier beliefs.

She looked to her bedroom door as she heard a loud knock outside. She listened as she heard someone open the front door, followed by Troy yelling "Annie, Jeff's here."

Annie quickly walked out of her room, seeing Jeff, Troy and Abed standing in the living room. "Jeff." She nodded her head towards the large paper bag he was holding. "What's in the bag?"

"I come bearing gifts." Jeff reached in and pulled out a few DVDs, which he handed to Abed. "I heard you lost some of your collection. So I got you a few to replace it."

"Thanks Jeff." Abed shifted through the titles in his hands. "My copy of 'Spider-Man' was taken. And I haven't seen '30 Days of Night'. Thank you."

"No problem. I also got you…" Jeff pulled out a framed picture and handed it to Troy, who practically squealed with joy. Annie went over to see what the picture was. It was Troy and Abed on Halloween, dressed as Inspector Spacetime and Constable Reggie.

"This is AWSOME!" I'm going to hang it up right now." Troy ran and started searching for nails and a hammer.

"You know you can just use the nails you had for the other pictures." Annie said.

"Annie, can I speak to you for a sec."

"Sure Jeff." She went into her room, where Jeff closed the door behind him. "What's up?"

"Well first of all, I wanted to give you your gifts." He reached into the bag and handed her three picture frames. Annie took the photos and looked through them, smiling at each one. The first one was the entire group at the Feline Aids Awareness fundraiser. The second one was Annie, Troy and Abed the day she moved into the apartment. And the third was Annie and Jeff during the group's camping trip.

"Jeff…" She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you."

"I knew you were upset at losing all of your pictures of everyone. So I thought you'd like to have a few."

"I love them. Thank you." She said as she pulled away, smiling in happiness.

"So, you have no idea what might have happened?"

"No, nothing. The police don't have any leads. They think it was just a random robbery."

"Random, sure." Jeff took a deep breath as he steered himself for what he was going to say. "Annie, I know you're not going to want to hear this. But I think Owen might have done this."

"Jeff, we can't jump to conclusions."

"Annie, after everything he said you're actually defending the guy!"

"I'm not defending him Jeff! I'm just saying the two might not be related."

"Annie, the guy yells and insults you and two days later someone breaks into your apartment."

"Exactly. If it had happened right after our study session then it would make sense. But there were several days in between both events. There's no proof that they're related."

"I don't need proof." Jeff sat down on Annie's bed as he ran his hands through his hair. "I don't trust the guy."

"You don't trust any guy that shows an interest in me." She sat next to him on the bed and took his hand. "You were convinced Rich was crazy."

"That's still up for investigation. But Annie, this is different. There's something about Owen that really makes me uneasy. And this was before you two even went out. I was concerned about him when we first met."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember your first tutoring session with Owen. Well, when you went to the bathroom he asked about where I knew you from. And when I told him we were friends, he told me 'maybe you should get some friends your own age'. And I'm not kidding, but he had a really odd look in his eyes when he said it."

Annie was silent as she absorbed what she heard. "Well, I know he's gotten really odd anytime I've mentioned you, Troy or Abed. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because…because I know what it sounds like when I say anything about any other guys in your life. I figured it was better not to mention it unless I had to."

Annie rubbed her thumb over Jeff's wrist as she took that in. Unfortunately she knew he was right. If he had said anything before hand she probably would have thought he was overreacting. "Jeff, it's just…I don't always know when you're actually being my friend, or if you're being jealous. Why can't you just get it together about what you want from me?"

As Jeff looked at her Annie was surprised to see how vulnerable his face was. "I'm trying…I really am."

"Can't you do it faster." She said softly, causing both of them to giggle at her remark. As they sat there she finally came to a decision she had been wrestling with for the last few days. "Jeff, can you do me a favor?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie sat in the library, waiting for Owen to show up. She had greatly debated whether or not to continue tutoring him. Although she was mad and hurt by what he had said to her, she knew she would have to deal professionally with people she didn't particularly like. And this would give her good practice in that. But she finally decided that because of what had happened she wouldn't be able to give him the help he needed if she continued tutoring him.

She turned as Jeff sat next to her. "You ok?"

"Yea. Jeff listen, I know I asked you to be here in case things went badly. But I don't want you with me when I tell him."

"What? I thought that's why I was here."

"Jeff, I want you here. But I have to do this by myself."

He scoffed sarcastically at her remark. "So what do you want from me then?"

"I want you to go to the back. If things get bad then you can come over here. But it's important that I do this by myself. And Jeff, when I saw bad I mean really bad. If he simply gets upset, if he simply yells, don't come over. Please."

"All right." Jeff said as he looked into her pleading doe eyes, knowing how important this was for her. "I'll be back there if you need me." He walked over to the back of the library and took out his phone, pretending to be engrossed in it as he watched her.

A few minutes later Owen came in and walked over to Annie, putting his bag on the table. "Annie, hey. Your text said you wanted to meet me after Professor Wess's class was over. What's up?"

"Owen, please sit down." She waited until he sat down before continuing. "I need to talk to you about tutoring you."

"Oh yea, you've been really helpful."

"Thank you. But I have to tell you that I can't be your tutor anymore."

The smile left his face as he heard what she said. "What? Why?"

"Because of what you said to me last week. What you said was really mean and hurtful."

"Look, look look look." He held up his hands in a pleading gesture. "I was upset that you said you didn't want to date me. I was just upset, all right."

"I understand that. But that doesn't excuse what you said. I think it would be best for both of us if someone else tutored you." She took a piece of paper out of her sweater and handed it to Owen. "Here are the names of a few other people who tutor calculus and other math subjects. Anyone of them can continue helping you."

Owen glanced at the list, noticing all the names were of guys, before crumpling it and dropping it on the table. "And where do you know these guys from? Gave them some 'favors' to get them to help you? Or will you be doing that after you're done being on your knees in front of your roommates?"

"You disgusting pig." Annie said, her voice taking on a hard edge she rarely used. "You have no right to talk to me like that. Or anyone for that matter. What is your problem?"

"My problem? You're trying to pawn me off after we've forged a deep personal connection."

"Deep personal connection? We barely know each other Owen. I tutored you a few times and we went out once on a really bad date. That's all. I tried to be nice but now I'm just going to say it. I don't want to see you anymore."

He glared at her, making Annie squirm inside despite not showing it on her face. "But you'll have other guys in your life. Like your two roommates." He nodded his head towards the back. "Like your friend Jeff over there. I meant what I said before. There's something creepy about a guy his age hanging out with a little girl. He's only after one thing. And the second he gets it he's going to laugh and brag about it to all his friends. But it seems you're too stupid to see that."

Annie grabbed his bag and threw it at him. "Get the hell out of my sight. I don't ever want to see you again."

Owen stood up and gave her a truly unsettling stare before he quickly walked out of the library. Annie took several deep breaths to try and calm down as Jeff came over to her. "Are you ok? I heard what he said to you. If I ever see him I swear I'll punch him."

"I wouldn't be that upset if you did Jeff."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ok, one more time."

Annie laughed as Troy splashed her. She swam closer to him as the two of them got into a splash fight.

It was two days after she had seen Owen. To try and get over the robbery and everything with Owen Troy had suggested she go swimming with him, Abed and Britta. She was glad she had taken his suggestion because she was having a great time. Especially after Leonard left and they were the only ones there.

"Are we doing this or what?" Britta called out.

"You just want a chance at beating me and Abed's undefeated record." Annie yelled with a smirk. She and Troy swam over to Britta and Abed and took their places. Annie got on Abed's shoulders and Britta got on Troy's before Abed yelled out "Go!" Both men held their women as Britta and Annie tried to push the other off. They wrestled each other until Troy dropped his shoulder and caused Britta to slip, allowing Annie to throw her off.

"Yaa, we're undefeated." Annie said with a smile as she slid off Abed.

"It's not my fault. Troy dropped me."

"Well you keep kicking me."

Britta rolled her eyes before she looked at the giant clock on the wall. "It's getting late. We should probably go."

Britta and Annie swan to the shallow end ladder and climbed out. As Abed swam over he looked behind him. "You coming Troy?"

"You go on ahead. I'll be out in a few minutes." As the three of them left Troy continued to swim, going to the deep end as he dove to the bottom. He did this several times before he finally climbed out on the deep end of the pool. He only took a few steps before he slipped and fell, hitting his head on the hard tile. He was knocked unconscious as he fell back into the pool, sinking to the bottom.

Troy's eyes snapped open as he violently coughed up water. As he gasped for breath he looked up, seeing Abed's concerned face looking down at him. "Abed? What happened?"

"I came out here and you were unconscious and under water. The back of your head's bleeding, so I'm guessing you slipped and hit you head, knocking yourself unconscious."

Abed helped Troy sit up as he looked at him in astonishment. "I don't believe…Abed, you saved my life.

As the two men hugged they didn't notice Owen peering at them from the locker room entrance, furious that his plan didn't work.


	5. Chapter 5

"Troy, are you sure you're up for movie night? You hit your head pretty hard yesterday."

"_I'm fine Annie. I went to the doctor and I don't have a concussion or anything. I'm good to go._"

Annie stopped walking as she readjusted her backpack straps, moving her phone to her other hand. "That's good. Is everyone able to make it?"

"_Pierce has something at his country club so I don't think he's coming. And Elijah and Jordon have a recital so Shirley said she might miss the beginning of the first movie. Everyone else should be there. When does your extra credit project meeting thing end?" _

"It just got done now. I'll pick up some snacks on the way home, so I should be there in a little bit."

"_Great. Get some chocolate covered pretzels. The good ones, not those lactose free organic soy ones Britta gets." _

"Will do. See you later."

Annie put her phone in her shirt pocket and took a step forward when she walked right into the janitor. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's cool."

"That's good. It's…Jerry, right?"

"Yea. Hey, how's Troy doing? I heard he slipped in the pool yesterday and hit his head."

"He's fine. Nothing to worry about."

"That's good. Last thing I need is to be blamed for something else I didn't do."

"What do you mean?"

"The reason Troy slipped yesterday was because someone poured cooking oil all over the tile next to the pool."

Annie's face paled as she took in that bit of information. "What?"

"Yea. The Dean called me in and blamed me for the whole thing. I told him, I have no idea how cooking oil got there. I wouldn't have that anywhere near a pool. You pour that on wet concrete and of course someone is going to slip." He paused as he saw how freaked out she looked. "You ok?"

"I have to go." She ignored his protests as she started walking away, her steps growing more hurried the further she got. She rounded a hallway corner when strong hands grabbed her and pulled her into a darkened alcove.

Despite being bathed in shadow she was able to make out that the person who grabbed her was Owen. "Get away from me!" She tried to get away but he pushed her hard into the wall, putting one hand around her neck to keep her in place. She tried to control her fear as she looked into his eyes. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? What do I want?" He tapped his foot softly as he held her, creating an unsettling metronome like beat. "All I wanted was to find someone to love. Someone who loved me. I thought I found that in you, but I was wrong. You're too busy being made a whore by every guy around."

"Please…please let me go." Annie's teeth chattered as his fingers pressed into the flesh of her neck.

"Why? To go back to your johns? To go back to that pervert Jeff and all the others? They're making you a filthy whore. They have to be gotten rid of if you're ever to be clean. And once you're clean we can be together."

"LET ME GO!" As Annie started to scream Owen grabbed her head and slammed it hard against the wall. Black spots clouded her vision as he placed a hand over her mouth. "Maybe you don't want to be saved. Maybe you like being a whore. Fine. If you want to be a whore then I'll treat you like one." With that he used his free hand to unbutton his pants as he ground his knee between her legs.

Annie bit down into his fingers, tasting blood as she fought back. Pure survival instinct took over as she violently kicked and punched him. He furiously unbuckled his belt as she scratched at his face with her fingernails. As Owen's pants dropped Annie managed to kick him hard in his groin. He cried out as he involuntarily released his hold over her face, placing both of his hands between his legs. Annie charged at him and pushed him out into the hallway, throwing him against a classroom door. As he struggled to regain his footing Annie took off down the hallway.

She got about halfway down when she felt his hands grab her backpack and the back of her cardigan. Screaming loudly she blindly swung out her arms and legs, connecting with Owen's body. As the back of her sweater ripped she violently thrust her arms until they were out of her backpack straps. As he lunged at her she elbowed him in the jaw and kicked him in his stomach. He cried out in pain as Annie drove her palm into his nose, causing him to fall to the ground.

Annie ran down the Greendale hallways, running faster than she ever thought possible. The cold night air smacked her in the face as she pushed the doors open, not stopping as she raced down the steps and through the parking lot to her car. Despite her shaking she managed to unlock her door and start the car, peeling out of the parking lot.

Annie sped down the streets of Greendale, barely able to see through her tears. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, sobbing uncontrollable as she drove. She was shaking so badly that she kept weaving from one side of the road to the other. When she came to a red light she raced through it, narrowly avoiding being plowed into by an oncoming car. All she cared about was getting as far away from him as fast as she could.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ten bucks says Jeff's not coming and will call before ten with some lame excuse." Britta said with a smirk.

"I'll take that bet. You in Abed?" Troy said.

"If anything Jeff will show up, but he'll have an excuse for having to leave early."

"Wait, I'm changing my answer to that Britta. That's more Jeff's style."

"You can't change a bet once it's been made Troy."

Just then the front door violently flew open, causing Troy and Britta to yell out in fright. All three of them looked over as Annie took a few wobbly steps in before she dropped on her hands and knees to the floor.

"Annie!" In a flash the three of them were beside her. Troy and Abed pulled her up while Britta pulled a chair over. As they sat her down Britta took in Annie's appearance. There were bruises and scratch marks all over her arms and neck and her eyes were red and puffy. Her sweater was practically torn to shreds and she was unable to stop shaking. Britta squatted down so she was eye level with her friend. "Annie, what happened?" She said in a calm clear voice.

"O,o,owen…" Annie stuttered out as her jaw struggled to work. "He, he attacked me. He grabbed me and he, he tried…" Her voice caught in her throat as she seemed to scream in silence.

While Britta herself shook slightly from what she heard she managed to remain calm for Annie's sake. "Troy, get her a glass of water."

"Britta, wha-."

"Troy!" She hissed at him. Troy ran to the kitchenette as Britta looked at Abed. "Abed, get Annie a blanket." Abed nodded his head and ran to get one as Britta turned back to Annie.

"I fought him off…" Annie said as Abed draped a blanket over her. "I stopped him before he could…" Her throat caught again as the memory of what he did, of what he tried to do, of what he almost did to her, ran through her head.

"Shhh. It's ok Annie. You're here. You're safe now." Britta said in a calm soothing voice. She looked over at Troy and Abed. "Call 911 so someone can be sent over here. Then call Jeff so he knows what's happened."

"Jeff." As soon as she heard his name Annie instantly stopped shaking. Fear flooded her but it wasn't for herself. She rose from her chair, the blanket falling to the ground. "We have to find him!"

"Annie, we're going to call Jeff." Britta said.

"You don't understand. I think Owen's going after him!" She quickly ran to her room, looking through the keys she hadn't realized were still in her hand until she found the one for her lock box. She pulled the box out of her dresser drawer and opened it, taking out the gun she had bought the first week she moved into her first apartment. She took the ammunition and with surprisingly steady hands began to load it.

She didn't even look up as Troy came to her doorway. "Annie, what is going-what are you doing with a gun!"

"I lived in a terrible neighborhood." She said as she finished loading it. Checking to make sure the safety was on she marched past Troy into the living room. "We have to find Jeff. He's in danger."

The three of them looked at Annie, unsure of what to do. "Annie-."

"NO! We can't just sit here. Owen's obsessed with getting rid of the men in my life and he knows how much Jeff means to me. He's going to try and hurt him, I know it."

"Look, we'll call the police and they'll-."

"We don't know where Jeff is Troy. He could be in several different places. BY the time we wait for the police to get to him it could be too late. We have to get to him first!"

In spite of her diminutive statue, at that moment she held the authority of a five star general. Abed nodded his head as Britta pulled out her phone to try and call Jeff. "What do you need?"

"Britta, do you still have your knife on you."

"Yea."

"You and Troy go to that bar he goes to, the one you two fought about on Troy's birthday. If he's not there go to his law firm, he might be doing some work there before he was going to come here. Abed and I will go to his place."

Britta pulled her phone from her ear, groaning in frustration. "I'm not getting him; it's just going to voice mail."

"Keep trying. Let's go!"

They ran outside and then split up into their search teams, speeding away in opposite directions. Abed drove Annie's car, glancing over at her as she continually tried calling Jeff.

"Jeff, please answer. Owen got to me and he's coming after you. If you're home lock your door and all your windows. If you're somewhere else stay in a crowded area. We're coming to you." She tried calling him a few more times before leaving another message. "Jeff, for the love of God answer your phone. You're in danger. Owen's coming after you. Please answer me so we can find you!" She kept calling him every few seconds, yelling in frustration every time his phone went to voicemail.

Faster than he had ever gotten there before Abed pulled into the parking lot of Jeff's apartment complex. He slammed on the breaks as they saw a man standing over another man. Before Abed could even turn off the engine Annie jumped out and ran forward, seeing Owen holding a knife over Jeff's blood covered body.

"STOP!" Annie yelled as she pointed her gun at Owen. Owen paused in mid swipe as he looked over at Annie. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"Annie…" Jeff weakly cried.

"This is the only way!" Owen yelled. "He's the worst of them all! You'll never be clean as long as he's in our lives!

Annie took a careful step forward, blocking everything out except the simple need to save Jeff. "Owen, if you do this it won't make me love you. If you kill him all it will do is make me hate you forever."

Owen looked at her, his eyes shining with madness. "It's the only way! You can't love me until I'm the only man in your life! Only then will we be together forever!"

"Owen, get away from him right now or I will shoot you!"

"YOU'RE MINE! MIN-!"

Annie pulled the trigger, shooting him in the chest. Owen dropped his knife as he fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Abed ran forward and grabbed the knife as Annie knelt beside Jeff.

"Jeff, hang on. It's going to be ok. It's going to be ok." With shaking hands she pulled out her phone and dialed 911.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You better rest up and heal quickly sweetie. We want you back in your study chair as soon as possible." Shirley said as she smoothed Jeff's hospital blankets.

"I actually was stabbed in the sixties Jeff. Anyone who says hippies are non violent never went to Arizona. Point is, I now have a cool scar that really impresses chicks. And I'm sure the same can be said for impressing guys."

"Ok, I'm going to need a lot more painkillers to hear anymore Pierce." Jeff said.

Pierce bobbed his head as he sighed deeply. "What's wrong?" Britta said.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing's wrong. Just seems this nut job thought every guy in Annie's life was a threat except for me."

"Seriously? You actually upset that Owen DIDN'T try to kill you?" Troy said in disbelief.

"No. But I still have life in me. I could have been thought of as a threat. Instead I was just passed over like a forgotten relic."

"Well Pierce. The next time someone becomes obsessed with one of us I will personally tell them how threatening you are." Jeff said.

"Jeffrey!" Shirley hissed. "Don't even joke about that. The man may infuriate me but even I don't want him dead."

"Oh Shirley." Pierce stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her in a one armed hug. Despite visibly cringing she grudgingly patted his arm in gratitude over his gesture.

Britta looked out the open door and saw Annie and Abed approaching the room. She quickly walked out into the hospital hallway. "Hey. Nice plant." She said as she pointed to what was in Annie's hands.

"Thanks. I figured Jeff would like it."

"Did you finish with the police report?"

"Yea, we told them everything that happened. I may have to go down to the station at some point for a few more questions, but they're done with me for tonight."

"That's good. Abed. Can you give us a moment?"

"Sure." As Abed went into Jeff's room Britta gently pulled Annie back a few feet.

"How are you doing?" She said softly.

Annie took a shaky breath, knowing exactly what Britta was asking about. "I just…this has never…"

"Annie, you know this is in no way your fault, right?"

Annie nodded her head as her eyes teared up over the memory. "I was so scared Britta…"

Britta hugged Annie, gently rubbing her back as she held her. "I know you were. But you fought back and managed to get away. That's…better then what happens to a lot of women." She pulled back as Annie took deep steady breaths. "Annie, I'm here for you. But if you need to talk to someone else about what happened…"

"Thank you." She glanced towards the door before looking back at Britta. "Don't tell anyone. At least not yet. I'm not hiding it. I told the police what Owen did so he doesn't get away with it. But…I'm just not ready…"

"Of course Annie. I won't say anything."

"Jeff already knows. Or at least I think he does. When the police arrived at the scene I told them what happened as Jeff was being treated, and I think he heard." Annie glanced over at the door. "I thought he was going to die Britta."

"I know. I was scared too. But he's going to be all right. The doctors treated him and said he should make a full recovery."

Annie smiled a little at hearing that again. "I want to see him." She walked to the door and lightly knocked on the door. "Hey."

"Annie!" Troy, Shirley and Pierce raced over and hugged her.

"I'm ok. Thanks guys."

Abed looked over at Jeff and then Annie, catching the look they shared with each other before clearing his throat. "Hey guys. I saw some candy in the cafeteria. Anyone want to get some?"

"Sure, I'll go." Britta said as she darted in, miraculously getting the hint. She grabbed Troy's hand as she pulled him out of the room.

"Come on Pierce." Shirley said.

"But I don't want any more candy. My pants are starting to feel tight from all my eating."

"Well then you can sit and watch us eat for a change." With that she practically pushed him out of the room. Abed gave Annie a quick look before closing the door behind him.

Annie tentatively walked over to Jeff as she held out the small plant in her hands. "I read somewhere that plants are better to give to someone when they're in the hospital because they give off oxygen, while flowers take oxygen in."

"It's great." Jeff said with a smile. He pressed a button to move the bed up as he took the plant from her. "'Get better soon Mom'?"

"That was the last one in the gift shop." She took the plant and put it on the bedside table before looking at him. "Jeff, I am so sorry."

"Annie, this wasn't your fault."

"But maybe if I-."

"Annie, none of us could have seen this coming. I knew there was something wrong with him and I never thought it would get this bad."

She gently sat at the edge of the bed, tracing her finger over his leg through the sheets. "Well, I still feel bad this happened to you."

"Fair enough." Jeff cleared his throat as he prepared to ask his question. "So…Owen. Did, is he…"

"No, he didn't die." Annie said with equal parts relief and regret. "He's currently handcuffed to a hospital bed under 24 hour guard watch. As soon as he's able to they're transferring him to lockup."

"After what he did to you, after what he almost did…" Jeff's stopped as his throat choked with emotion. "I'll make sure he never hurts anyone else every again. And if you end up needing a lawyer I know some good ones. If I could I'd personally be your representative."

"Thank you."

"Come closer." Jeff waited until Annie scooted up a bit before taking hold of her hand. "You saved my life." He said with true admiration.

A few tears fell down her face as she looked at Jeff. "I was so scared Jeff. I was terrified I wouldn't find you until it was too late. And then when I saw you…"

"Annie, what you did…it was beyond amazing. You may just be the most incredible person I've ever met." He waited a few moments before he continued. "Annie, this might be a bit soon. But would you like to go out to dinner with me? After I'm out of here and actually healed up of course."

She narrowed her eyes as she pondered what he meant. "You mean…like friends?"

Jeff shook his head as he readied himself. "I mean…like an actual date. You asked me not too long ago when I was going to get it together about what I wanted from you. Well, I finally have. And what I want is to take you out on an actual date. Then kiss you. And then see where it goes from there."

She looked at Jeff for several moments before a slow smile crept over her face. "And it only took you almost dying to finally figure out what you wanted."

"I guess I go more for big life changing signs." He started to laugh, then groaned as he held his stomach. "Just to warn you, it'll be a few weeks before that date happens."

"That's all right. I've waited this long. What's a few more weeks?"

**The End**


End file.
